Miraculous Seven
by Didjey Disantales
Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir have worked tirelessly to protect Paris from Hawkmoth. However, the city doesn't seem to care about the heroes as much, with media and paparazzi intent on finding out who they really are. In the meantime, Hawkmoth is getting tired and as such uses more powerful akumas than before. The two heroes might require some extra help but will they get it? ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 0

**Alright, it has been a while. I don't know why I am doing this but I might write a fanfic about Miraculous. I found it amazing and decided to come back and have some fun. Can't promise anyone complete story, but I will sure try.**

 **Never mind that, there is something we need to establish before the story starts. Since so many questions we have were left unanswered, we created our own additions to the story. Or, as people like to call them, canons. To make sure no one is duped into reading my story before realizing he or she has problem with part of my created world, I will tell you, without spoiling anything, what rules/regulations/policies (can't find more informal word to describe it) should you expect from this story.**

 **LadyBug and Chat Noir cannot get akumatized. This one is tearing me apart. I am not sure whether I want them to be vulnerable or not. However, I decided to find a compromise. A white butterfly, that OFFERS the receiver to become its champion, can choose our heroes. (Whether I am going to put this in the story remains to be seen.) However, dark, corrupted power is not allowed to be used on other miraculous holders. Admittedly, some might have questions as to how Chat could actually hurt Ladybug with Cataclysm during Dark Cupid, but I believe that, since he was influenced, rather than acted on his own accord, no protection was there. Or, if you don't feel satisfied, think of it this way: Butterfly miraculous is unique in its own way and as such only white butterflies are allowed to choose whoever the Holder wished to be. Akumas can not do the same.**

 **Miraculouses have powers that keep their Holders hard to identify. This is important. I often see fanfics where they find out about each other through some accidents, hints and mistakes. I want it to go on a next level though. I read only one fanfic that has what I am about to put in here - Miraculous Protection. Yep, haven't patented it, but would like to claim as my own. This is a power, that comes with Miraculous, that distracts/averts/confuses a person when he/she becomes too suspicious of the Holder's identity. So if Alya ever had a thought that Marinette is Ladybug, that thought would be immediately extinguished by the Protection which will tell Alya that she is wrong, this couldn't be her and etc. This way, we can go for a long time. The only way to find out is if they tell themselves, transform/detransform in front of others or willingly turn off Protection. I do believe though that Tikki and Plagg haven't told them about this power though. You will see why later.**

 **New powers will be unlocked. Yep, I heard rumors that our heroes might get upgrades and I am all for that. Which powers, don't know yet, but suggestions will be welcome.**

 **Plagg looks like he doesn't care, but he is soft inside. Well, pretty straightforward. For what reasons he is like that is up to you. He could be a kwami that just likes to look cool (if you like lighter stuff) or he is just trying to detach himself from his Holders because he lost enough of them. (darker path)**

 **Plagg and Tikki relationship will be a close one, but not sure if it is a love one. I find soulmate relationship more intriguing.**

 **You-Know-Who is HawkMoth. And I ain't talking about Voldemort. Mind you, baldy would have loved to have extra powers. Anyway, 95% or even more think that a certain person is our villain and I agree. Plus, I find this fascinating if you look deeply into all the possibilities in season 2-3.**

 **New Miraculouses will be handed out. The Bee Miraculous and the Fox Miraculous are set to return to action. We all know who it will be. I am not happy with the choices 100%, especially the bee one (Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!) but I find character development fascinating. And, boy, the new Holder will need one hell of a makeover!**

 **Turtle Miraculous might just change Holders too. Again, we know who will most likely be with Wayzz. I find his character more in sync with this miraculous so no objections.**

 **Lila will be here. I hate her, more than Chloe, and that is saying something. Lila will be absolutely vital in developing Chloe though so I can't keep her out.**

 **Speaking of Lila, Volpina will come back. Not early in the story, but later. I already have a battle in mind.**

 **I will be using English names. I was fluent in French years ago but lost it. Pretty bummed about this, but nothing I can do about it. I won't be using Google Translate to help me out either.**

 **Paris will be more filled with people. Let's be honest - Paris is not only a City of Love, but also of Chaos. Proud Parisians may disagree but even they should admit that in no way is their Underground so vacated (as seen in Puppeteer). There are legends about Paris Metro, and they are not exactly flattering. So I will add more people to the world. Transforming and detransforming will be harder.**

 **Love Square dilemma. Ah, here comes the part people have been waiting for. Well, I will do my best to include all 4 pairings, or ships as people call them. Now, I often read summaries of other stories claiming they will have everything, but it often lacks Ladrien. It ain't my perfect ship either, but I feel it is not even given a chance. I have not chosen which pairing will be the dominant one.**

 **Angst stuff. I am yet to decide on this one. Your output would be nice. Do you want Marinette fell insecure about Ladybug vs herself? Sometimes I feel fanfic where she accepted that she is Ladybug, with mask or not. Others however, portray her as someone struggling with identity issues. I personally prefer the former, but can make transition towards the latter. Adrien also has problems. Do I make his usual Adrien Agreste persona look like a mask that he takes off when he is Chat Noir? Or is he someone who likes himself as Adrien but finds that he needs something to give him more in life and that is where his alter ego comes in. I like angst, but not in this fanfic. So I might go for latter. We will see.**

 **His mother's whereabouts are unknown. I am not sure whether to put her dead/missing/left so I will not be touching her story yet. She will be mentioned but whether she will make a grand entrance remains to be seen.**

 **We know where Peacock Miraculous is. If you don't, rewatch Volpina.**

 **No one knows our heroes identities, except for Master Fu. So not parents of Marinette, or Gabriel Agreste (though his last act in Volpina keeps me on my toes).**

 **Chloe can change. Well, she isn't completely lost cause. Sabrina will also get her spotlight.**

 **I will prefer not to make any new pairings in the class. You all have some preferences but I don't want to put them here. If anyone is concerned, please ask me via PM and I will reply.**

 **No OCs. I am not sure whether that will stay till the end, but don't expect some girl/guy to come to Paris and immediately become superhero. As if the Guardian couldn't find the right person among millions of people. I might add some recurring characters though. Nothing major, since I believe the spine of the cast is strong, but some final jigsaws could work.**

 **Media and Paparazzi are much more demanding. Well, in the series, they all act so nice, which is not the case. I won't make Alec Cataldi and Nadja Chamack pushy though. In fact, keeping them sane, comparing to others, could help with the development of the story. Otherwise, expect others to be intrusive and very, very demanding.**

 **The episode will pick up after season 1. I might include the chapter where Marinette presents the book to Master Fu, but that would be like flashback, rather than in actual timeline.**

 **Nathalie is stern and emotionless, but has a heart inside. Whether it is blackened or not, we will see. Nothing about Gorilla for now. He is an odd character. We will play it by ear.**

 **The mayor loves his daughter so much he has spoilt her. Some authors portrayed him as a monster to give more platform towards Chloe's redemption, but I am not going to go this way. He genuinely loves her, as you can see in several episodes, even though his affection is misguided. This all could stem from the fact Chloe's mother is nowhere to be found. Another interesting point to happen.**

 **Maybe, just maybe, if story goes well, a new Super Villain will be added. Whether alongside Hawk Moth, or after, we will see. Depends on the success of the story.**

 **Adrien is oblivious to Marinette. This boy's ignorance might be bliss to them, but is torture to me. Nevertheless, I will keep it this way. And Ladybug thinks that Chat is just a flirt.**

 **Paris loves both heroes, though Ladybug is more popular. Chat Noir is fine with it since he is a big fan himself. Ladybug thinks highly of her partner and always accents that whenever asked by the media.**

 **Some fluff might appear here and there. I don't particularly want it to be common here, but I need to keep the mood-o-meter balanced. On the one end, it is fluff and light, on the other it is angst and darkness. I want to keep balance, but putting darkness in requires balanced story.**

 **Now, lastly, the reveal. I can't promise that will happen. I know, I heard your hearts broke. Let's hope akuma doesn't decide to visit your homes. Anyway, I want them to be together, sure, but not so soon, and not until I have fun. So reveal is still some time away, if there is going to be one.**

 **Now, like I promised, don't expect me to complete it. You will motivate me if you support me though. I am a sucker for praise.**

 **Please, don't read my previous stories. I seem to grow wiser and more intelligent with each year, if that's possible (and my ego doubles annually too, so you know), so I look at those attempts at writing as failures. Utter failures. So unless you want to see how better I am now, I suggest you don't even open my profile, let alone check the stories.**

 **I will do my best to update once a week. I might go for less time, or more, depending on whether I am in the mood.**

 **I am also considering adding "recaps" at the start of each chapter to remind you of what happened in the previous one. I often find them useful, especially if you read a lot and haven't read the story in more than 2 weeks.**

 **Anyway, I would like to apologize if you were expecting the story, but I needed everyone to be on board. Whoever is unhappy with what I proposed is welcome to PM me but I can't promise to appease everyone. And, if you feel I can add something else to my list, feel free to tell.**

 **Until my first chapter, take care, my dear readers, and have a great time reading other fanfics!**


	2. Tomorrow is going to be a good day

**Very happy to see I am writing quite fast. In this chapter you shouldn't expect anything groundbreaking. I am focusing on building characters first. Bear with me. If it goes well, the story could turn out to be beautiful. Fingers crossed.**

 **Chapter 1.**

 **Tomorrow is going to be a good day.**

He was dead.

So dead.

Adrien was restlessly pacing around his room. Plagg, on the other hand, was having an after-cheese nap (kwami's invention). Or, at least he tried to have one, with his Holder annoying him to pieces.

-"Relax, kid, he won't find out."- said Plagg for the umpteenth time, hoping this time it will work. It didn't.

-"But Plagg, he is already suspicious about my ring!"

-"So what? It is not the end of the world, is it?"-he paused.-"You see? The world continues spinning, with or without that book in his safe."

-"It will stop soon enough when my father kills me for looking around in his safe!"

-"And I thought you are good at physics."-quipped the kwami. Adrien could only roll his eyes.

-"Besides, he won't kill you. Put you on permanent house arrest and install cameras in your room with 24/7 surveillance, but you will be alive."- Kwami added, lazily getting up to have some exercise. That exercise was moving from the couch to the bed.

-"You know, the way you sounded, I'd prefer to be dead, thank you very much."-the blonde boy retorted.

Plagg was seriously getting annoyed. Holder or not, he was a demigod! Listening to a teenager instead of sleeping was not in the manual. So with all the strength he could muster while digesting precious camembert, he stated:

-"Look, Adrien, calm down, okay? Your father will not know it is gone for some time. And when he does, he will not suspect you. And why would he? Plus, he wouldn't want everyone to know he has the book about Miraculouses hidden in his safe, would he?"

Adrien thought it over. Plagg was right. Why worry about this anymore? He would rather concentrate on something else. Still, something didn't feel right. He couldn't quite understand why his father had such a book on his hands. And what of all those things in the safe? He could understand his mother's picture, but everything else? Complete mystery. He also remembered seeing a beautiful brooch in his father's safe, which must have belonged to his mother. He really wanted to take it because it would always remind him of his mother. Not much else did nowadays. However, going after the brooch would definitely alert his father and he was in enough trouble already. His own self had to deal with Lila now, and Chat Noir was always bombarded with bothersome questions from the media, asking for interviews. He knew they just wanted him to reveal himself, and that's what he felt disgusted about. After saving the city so many times, one should expect people to be more grateful. Not this media though.

Adrien sighed.

-"You are right, Plagg. No need to work myself up. Plagg?"-Adrien turned to see his kwami sleeping soundly. He rolled his eyes but smiled. Plagg might be bratty, but he couldn't leave a day without him. Even if that meant stinking from camembert.

'Well, at least you haven't heard what I said about you being right, Plagg.'-Adrien mused.-'you wouldn't let me live for weeks!'

Unbeknownst to him, Plagg heard his last phrase before going to sleep, smiling. 'That boy is not going to live it down easily! Tomorrow is going to be a good day.'

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After coming back home from Master Fu, Marinette and Tikki were feeling tired but happy. They returned the book to the Guardian and he said that Ladybug will get the reward. What kind of reward, he didn't say, but it didn't stop the two from speculating all the way to the bakery. It was not the case when they finally came home. One of them went to sleep while the other on was restless. Unlike Adrien & Plagg, though, it was the Holder, who was exhausted from a long day, went to sleep. The kwami, on the other side, was nervous. She had plenty of things to be concerned about.

Firstly, she couldn't understand why Adrien, of all people, had the book. She knew it could not have been Adrien as Hawkmoth. He was innocent…

Then again, Miraculous Protection made it impossible to pinpoint whether Adrien was Hawkmoth, or not. Kwamis were more resistant to the Protection but not fully, so she couldn't cross Adrien off the list.

'It is not like he is a very social person who is given freedom to roam'-though kwami frustratedly. Stumbling onto the book was unlikely. 'What, did he find it under his bed or something? In one of the spare rooms?'-she mused. Another thing that Miraculous Protection did not stop kwamis from feeling was an aura of a fellow kwami. While Tikki did not know who the kwami she often felt close by was, she definitely felt that a fellow kwami was nearby. So Adrien being Hawkmoth was not particularly far-fetch… oh, is that a cookie I smell?

Tikki was annoyed, not with herself, but with the Protection. It was clearly trying to distract her. If anything, that made her more suspicious. Then again, there were cases in history when Protection was confusing kwamis and holders even when their suspicions were wrong. Nevertheless, she will be keeping an eye on Adrien. Telling Marinette would break the girl's heart, and Tikki did not have the strength in herself to do it. If her hunch was wrong, her words could affect the baker's girl badly. And she did not want Marinette to get another problem on her mind. Imagine her crush being Hawkmoth!

Speaking of problems, Tikki was seriously getting annoyed by the media. She knew it was their job, but that didn't make it right. They were all twisting stories, omitting several facts, adding others, just so that the readers would be brainwashed into thinking in a certain matter. Media is supposed to be informative-oriented, not persuasive.

Tikki, with some difficulty, decided to see what is new in the media about the superheroes. She was not surprised to see the following headlines:

"Ladybug and Chat Noir: heroes or villains?"

"Will our heroes ever reveal themselves?"

"Chat Noir is in Love but will his crush be crushed?"

"Ladybug is twice the hero Chat Noir is!"

"Chat Noir: an equal to Ladybug, or an unnecessary distraction?"

"Could Chloe Bourgeois be our Ladybug, after all?"

"Why are our heroes hiding behind the masks? Could they be criminals or are they hiding something more?"

'They are hiding their identities because you would eat them alive if you ever found out who they really are.'-huffed the Ladybug kwami.-'Sometimes I wonder whether media is more dangerous than Adr…Hawkmoth.'

It was useless, getting so worked up about the journalists and the reporters, but Tikki's patience was wearing thin. She looked at the sleeping girl with concern. 'Poor Marinette does not need something else to deal with. First Chloe, now Lila, Hawkmoth still not caught, Adrien potentially being the villain and the paparazzi cutting each other's throats, trying to get the scoop of the century - Ladybug's and Chat Noir's real identities.'

Tikki sighed. She knew that worrying about it would not make it easier. So she decided to devise a plan with Marinette to avoid all obstacles in their way tomorrow. Today was a difficult, but satisfying day, so Tikki fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. Her last thought was: 'Tomorrow is going to be a good day.'

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Wayzz was troubled. Ladybug found that book! Finally it was back where it belonged. But his Master didn't look too interested now. The Turtle kwami couldn't understand what was important that kept him away from deciphering the book. Doing so could mean unlocking new powers for the heroes! Hawkmoth would be defeated and Nooroo would finally be free! So Wayzz was definitely getting antsy, but having faith in his Master.

Master Fu came back an hour later, smiling. The kwami perked up and asked:

"Good evening, master. Where have you been?"

"I was doing something terribly important."-the Guardian answered, still with a smile on his face. Wayzz got curious:

"Did you find something important about the book and the powers, master?"-the kwami asked, hopeful.

"Better."-Replied his Holder-"I had an amazing day, soaking in sauna."

Wayzz thought he misheard him. Sauna? At such an important time? When Nooroo is so close to being saved?

"But master, with all due respect, should you not be focusing on deciphering the book. I am sure your sauna has been, er, refreshing, but with Nooroo still in trouble Ladybug and Chat Noir should be given new powers!"-said kwami, quite annoyed with his Holder. He could never understand him, after so many years. Didn't mean he didn't like him, not at all. In fact, he was one of his favorite Holders, but he didn't feel like that in that moment.

"Patience, dear Wayzz. I know that you are anxious about Nooroo, and so am I. You really care about him, and other kwamis as well. But rushing in would just result in trouble. Don't worry and have faith in our heroes - they are incredibly talented."-Master Fu replied.

"Of course, Master. And it is not just Nooroo I am worried about, I want to make sure that the world is free of Hawkmoth."

"If that is the case, then why didn't you mention him before? You only talked about freeing Nooroo, rather than saving the world from Hawkmoth"-the Guardian smiled. He continued before his kwami could protest: "It is not shameful at all, dear Wayzz. Kwamis are, essentially, a family. Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind - or forgotten. I am sure Nooroo will be with us soon."-He paused, before continuing with a sly smile.-"Of course, I could look at the book faster, but my bones aren't feeling too well so…"

Wayzz knew what Master Fu wanted, but tried to resist:

"Did you not say that you are still young, when distributing the Miraculouses?"-he quipped.

"Ah, but I was 186 years old back then. I am 187 now, my bones don't feel the same anymore."

"But it has been less than a year!"  
"Alas, it has been a stressful one."-Master Fu smiled. Wayzz just sighed. He knew what he had to do to keep Master happy: "Alright, Master, I will give you a back massage. But as long as you get on working on the book first thing tomorrow."

"Deal!"- And with that, Master Fu ran towards his chambers as if he was 17, not 187. Wayzz chuckled. He could never understand his Master fully, even after all those years. What he understood though, is that his Holder was kind, compassionate, and wise. He was also fun-loving and had a sense of humor. A perfect Holder for Turtle Miraculous. He wished that he could be with his Master for a few more decades. Who would be there to replace him when he was finally gone? Wayzz didn't even want to think about it. 'Hopefully I won't have to deal with a change any time soon.'-and with these thoughts he floated towards the Guardian's chambers.-'Tomorrow is going to be a good day.'

 **Here it is guys, the introduction of this fanfic. I know that some of you want straight-up action, akumas, drama, romance and etc. but I want to present a detailed and a free-flowing story and this introduction sets it up nicely. I like kwamis and as such gave a glimpse of their lives. I needed to put Adrien's worries about his father as well. And lastly, I put in Master Fu because I like him and think of him as an old man by age, but a young boy by heart. Couldn't just keep him out of here. Plus, he is the only one who can decipher that book so I wanted to include him more in the story. Hopefully you liked Ohana reference here. In next chapter I cannot promise more action, but there won't be fluff. For now, producing a perfect start that could set the whole story is a must. But I promise you will have an akuma by Chapter 3, if the next chapter doesn't have one. I also promise to increase the word count. I didn't want to put too much in. I am releasing it a day after writing Chapter 0, so to speak, so that you don't have your hopes plummeted.**

 **Special thanks to the reviewers and follows/favorites. I would kindly ask you to log on your account or sign up because I don't want to bloat the word count by answering the reviews here. If you can't, it is understandable, but I would appreciate it.**

 **Next chapter will deal with media and Adrinette. Now, before you start squealing, I want to tell you that when I say the name of the ship, I don't mean their relationship will become romantic. I just mean that these two heroes will talk to each other or work together. Sorry if you were hoping for Adrien to fall in love with Marinette, but that ain't happening until late on. As you can see, I put adventure & mystery as main genres (you will know why I chose the latter a bit later) and not romance. So while romantic relationship is almost surely to happen, don't expect it early on. No sappy chapters here, for now.**

 **Also, please tell me about other rules/policies that I should consider. I always remember them when thinking of the story, but forget when I am writing it. Sigh.**

 **Anyway, I will release Chapter 2 either on Friday/Saturday or Sunday at worst. Depends on the word count. Can't do tomorrow since my mates and I play football every Thursday. So don't expect many chapters coming in your way on this day of the week. I will also include recap feature so that you don't have to read the previous chapter (it annoys me to pieces). Take care guys.**


	3. Today is a strange day

**I have found out that my first chapter was actually not shown on the update list. I was disappointed somewhat that the chapter didn't get to be seen by the public, but decided to go on. This chapter should be posted soon, and I will not be happy to see problems here too. But, anyway, let's go on with the chapter.**

 **Recap of chapter "Tomorrow is going to be a good day."**

 **Adrien is worried about his father finding out about the missing book, but Plagg calms him down and reasons with him. The blonde boy eventually goes to sleep.**

 **Tikki, in the meantime, starts suspecting Adrien of wrongdoing. She is suspicious as to why such an important book was with Adrien, so decides to keep an eye on him from now on. She also checks the media outlets and is unhappy with some of the headlines on the internet.**

 **Wayzz is worried about Nooroo and wants Master Fu to decipher the book as soon as possible so that their heroes could unlock new powers and save the Butterfly kwami. However, Master Fu is feeling more relaxed than his kwami would have wanted him to be. They decide to start reading the book tomorrow, after a good massage.**

 **Today is a strange day.**

 **Part I.**

They have just purified an akuma. Without using their powers! That meant he had more time to spend with His Lady! He knew it is unlikely she would agree but his "never give up" attitude convinced him to at least try.

"My Lady, looks like we have done meow-nificently today, so how about we find a more private place?"-Chat asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Well, Chat Noir, it depends on your use of puns?"-Ladybug said, with a sly grin. Chat couldn't believe it! She hasn't left the place yet! That meant she was waiting for him to make a move. He wasn't the best in going beyond cheesy flirts and puns so he decided to stick with that:

"Do you mean purr-ns? I will do my best to purr-suade you, My Lady. Wherever you want to be, just ask!"

"Well, dear Chat (the hero's heart skipped at this stage), I wouldn't mind meeting you at your mansion."-Ladybug said with a smile. Chat got pale. He tried to muster as much courage as possible and asked:

"What cat-stle are you talking about? I never mentioned anything about having a mansion."

"Maybe not you, Chat, but Adrien definitely lives in one, doesn't he?"

Chat looked at himself and nearly screamed. His transformation was off, with no ring and Plagg anywhere. Ladybug looked at him, not smiling anymore.

"I am disappointed, Adrien. I thought you would be better than that. I guess I was wrong. Don't see me ever again, you mangy cat!"- And with those stinging words Ladybug used her yo-yo to get away from the shocked blonde boy.

He was destroyed. His feelings may not have been rejected, but he knew that they would never be together now. And not just that, even friendship is probably damaged beyond repair. Can they be partners while not being friends? And would Ladybug even want him to be there with her? After all, she is the one who purifies an akuma. Chat Noir may be useful against many supervillains, but against Hawkmoth and his akumas, he was worthless. His breathing got rapid, and before long he was suffocating. All he could hear were voices laughing at him. Then he felt coldness and wetness on his face.

He wasn't dead. Just sprayed by water in the face, by a very worried Plagg. Before Adrien could regain composure to see the worried look on the kwami's face, the demigod decided not to show his softie side of him and left with a single word:

"Nightmare."

Today hasn't been a good day so far. And it was only 3 AM.

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Marinette felt much better this morning. Her fatigue was gone and she was actually pretty excited about Master Fu's potential discoveries of their powers. The Guardian told her not to worry, and that he will tell the heroes to come when the time is right, but that did not deter her enthusiasm. It was only 7 AM so she had plenty of time to prepare for school.

Less than half an hour later, she was already walking towards her school. While Marinette was not constantly late, and actually had a decent attendance record, seeing her in school, at 7:30 in the morning, was a strange sight. She ignored any curious onlookers and entered her classroom. No one was there yet, bar Nathanael, who was asleep. Marinette thought about waking him up to have someone to talk to, but decided better of it. She did not know whether Nath still had a crush on her, and she perfectly well knew what it is like, trying to talk to someone you like. Pretty much stammering, blabbering mess. So instead she took out her sketchbook, hoping to find some inspiration to draw from. She thought about Volpina's costume, and her face lit up. Villain she may have been, Volpina had an interesting design and Marinette was all about something new, something exciting. So she was just about to start drawing, when she remembered.

Lila is now in her class! She already hurt her as Ladybug, she didn't want to make the same mistake as Marinette. So she promised herself to be nice to Lila and maybe make friends with her. Hopefully, she would be in a more forgiving mood today. The way she sounded after being deakumatized, though, suggested otherwise.

Marinette decided to look around the classroom again and noticed that the only seat left for Lila is with Nathanael. She couldn't help but grin. In her mind, a new ship has sailed! She was still unsure how to name the ship, so she would ask Alya for the advice. Her best friend was definitely creative with ships. After all, she was the one who created the "LadyNoir" craze. Marinette may have disagreed with that ship, but she didn't want to spoil Alya's mood.

Lost in her thoughts, Marinette didn't notice her classmates coming in. They all greeted her, and she did so on autopilot. Looking at the class watch, she noticed it was 7:55 already. Lila was not here, and neither were Nino, Alya and Adrien. She could understand Lila's and Adrien's absences (the former still in shock after being controlled by an akuma and the latter being a wreck after losing a valuable book), but not Nino's and Alya's.

The time passed 8 AM, and Madame Bustier entered the class. She started a roll call and noted 4 absences. Marinette was more worried than before, but decided to take it as an opportunity to listen to the class lectures, instead of looking at the blonde locks of a certain model.

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The reason for Alya and Nino absences was simple. They were neither making out, nor receiving Miraculouses from Master Fu. They just overslept. Why is that and was it a coincidence that both of them had problems on the same day? Well, it wasn't one. Alya was up all night, trying to find out more about this Volpina superhero and how did she fit in with Paris' miraculous duo. She tried to find anything, ANYTHING, that happened after that meteorite was destroyed, but couldn't. That only made her suspect something was afoul even more. So she wanted to have a partner to share her concern with. She thought of Marinette, but decided better of it. She loved her best friend to bits, and could see that the pigtailed girl was struggling recently and didn't want to overburden her further. Plus, Marinette would often get late to school as it was. She would probably sleep through a whole school day! So Alya went for another option: Nino.

Nino would never admit it, but he went to sleep very early. 9 PM sharp he would be in bed, to wake up at 6 AM (his house was a bit farther away from school than everyone else). So he already had 4 hours in his sleeping ration when Alya woke him up. That didn't make him less grumpy.

"Alya, it is 1 AM! On a school night! What the hell are you doing up so late?"-He asked, in disbelief.-"In fact, a better question would be, what the hell am I doing up so late?"

"Yeah, Nino, I am sorry, I just had to…"

"No worries, apology accepted, good night."-Nino was just about to hang up when he heard Alya pleading.

"Please, Nino, I would really be grateful if you could talk."

"Alya, that is why I am at school from 8 till 3 and you can still reach me till 9 in the evening. What is so important that it had to be during the "Forbidden hours"?"-Nino, asked, almost fully awake now.

"I know, Nino. It is just that I have a bad feeling about something."-Alya said, then added a bit mischievously.-"Till 9, you said? Do you go to sleep like kindergarten kids, at 9 sharp?"-she teased him. Nino spluttered. If he wasn't awake before, he was definitely feeling any grogginess gone now.

"Eh, let's not change the topic. What's the problem, Alya?"

"Can we talk over Skype? I am wasting my phone credits and my funds aren't exactly comparable to Chloe's, who must have a golden bathroom or something."

Nino sighed, but knew there was nothing he could do against it. While Alya and he weren't together yet, he felt they were making progress, and he didn't want to hinder it, or worse, set it back. So he had to make some compromises. Losing his sleep must have been his biggest to this day.

"Alright, Alya, just give me a minute, I will call you."-and with that, he hung up. He opened his PC, put on some clothes, and called her on Skype. Less than 2 seconds later, Alya accepted his call.

They talked about Volpina and Ladybug & Chat Noir for a few hours. At first, Nino talked reluctantly, trying to stifle a conversation and get back to his precious bed, but got involved later on. He was unsure on who Volpina was, but didn't trust her. He didn't know why, especially since she saved Paris from a meteorite, but something inside was nagging him. Nonetheless, he didn't want to ruin Alya's excitement about the appearance of a new hero and as such acted neutral throughout the conversation.

After it was over, Nino immediately plopped on his bed. Just before going to sleep he started thinking about Alya. He actually thought that Alya would have been a perfect Fox hero (which Volpina must have been, her attire looked closest to that animal). She was resourceful, a bit nosy, sneaky and resilient. He smiled.

'Well, at least we know who deserves a Fox Miraculous, if it ever existed.'-Nino thought, before drifting into a long sleep.

 **LBCN-LBCN-LBCN-LBCN-LBCN-LBCN-LBCN**

Marinette's first classes were gone in a flash. She was surprised herself as to how time flies when you are enjoying something. And while studying usually doesn't bring out positive emotions in her (no teenager enjoys school, with rare exceptions), she felt happy to have paid full attention to her lessons. She knew it was too good to last, but for now, she was content with how her day started.

Unfortunately for her, neither any of her friends nor Lila came to school. She texted Nino and Alya on WhatsApp, but they haven't read the messages yet (though they have received them).

As for Adrien, she had his phone number when she tried to talk to him on the phone (and failed miserably, but that's beside the point).

Her last class was science class with Professor Mendeleiev. The teacher's mood was usual. By that, it meant grouchy, strict and uncompromising.

"Alright, class, having noticed that many of you are unfocused on this subject, I decided to have a pop quiz today."-She said, relentless in the face of class groans.-"In fact, if you don't get on with it, I might add pop quizzes on every single lesson."

"But would they be called "pop" quizzes, then, professor?"-Max asked feebly. Had it been anyone else, Professor Mendeleiev would have erupted. However, Max has always been focused and obedient student (though that friend of his, Kim, was nothing but trouble) and as such she treated him relatively better than others. So instead of scolding him, she just answered curtly:

"Max, if it makes you feel better, I won't be calling them "pop" quizzes anymore."-she said, with sarcasm dripping in her words. The boy didn't get it though and looked happier. Professor just rolled her eyes in response.

The quiz lasted only 15 minutes at the end of which Professor collected them without even letting students put last-gasp answers. Marinette, however, was surprisingly done 2 minutes before the end. The pigtailed girl was shocked herself. While she was an A student in most of her subjects (literature, history, PE, and probably all classes with Madame Bustier), she wasn't that good in Professor Mendeleiev classes. They were math and science classes. She would always score a solid B, and would often get into A- range, but the professor never rated her particularly highly. In her view, she was good, yes, but not extraordinary. Had an attention of a 2-year old child as well.

So imagine her surprise when she noticed that Marinette was actually paying attention in the class. She did not know what constituted such a change of behavior, but quickly found the answer. None of the usual classmates she sat with were present. That model and the headphones guy were absent, but, most importantly, so was that ladyblogger. Who knows, maybe Marinette would have studied better if not for bad influence?

'I might have to tell Marinette to change the seats. It would be for her own good. In fact, putting her to sit with the model, Adrien, could actually work. He is the best in my class and she doesn't even talk to him much, if any. Alright, that's what I am going to do tomorrow. For now, let's continue the lesson.'- thought Professor Mendeleiev as she droned on.

Finally, it was time to leave the school. Marinette helped the professor clean the board (which only furthered the teacher's belief her female friend was a bad influence on her) and left the school in high spirits. It wasn't to last, though, as she heard screams a few blocks away.

Akuma.

 **So, I hope you liked this chapter. Just would like to remind you that I am trying to set the pace and make sure everything goes well. Gave some time to professor Mendeleiev and the idea that she got during her class. Also, wanted to explore a bit relationship between Nino and Alya. And, like I promised, akuma. Didn't want to upset the chapter by going gung-ho, so kept the action for the next chapter. Now, I can't promise to upload in a few days only, because I want to have a really good fight. And Lucky Charm that is not very easy (like in Gamer) or convolutedly complicated (like in Storm Weather or Climatica). So bear with me. I promise to do my best. Haven't written battles in a while but I am ready to get down to business. Overall, I hoped you liked me adding recap feature to the story. The chapter is also bigger than the previous one, a trend I hope to continue until a certain threshold. See you later.**


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